PRINCIPLES OF PRESERVATION IN DIFFICULT TIMES
No. 10, Part 2, DAVID'S NUMBER ONE REQUEST!
David’s request is found in Psalm 27:4-6, “ONE THING have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in his pavilion; in the secret place of his tabernacle He shall hide me; he shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will over sacrifices of joy in his tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.”
Could it be possible that David’s No. 1 request from God would please God even more than Solomon’s? We find the answer when we look at the end of both of these men’s lives. Although both Solomon and David fell into sin at different stages of their lives, Solomon’s fall was the most tragic. Despite all his wisdom and knowledge, it failed him at the end and he never recovered.
David did recover after his fall and finished his life in victory. There is obviously something to be sought from God that is even more important than having a wise and understanding heart, as good as this appears to be. What is this character quality? I believe the answer is found in a daily, personal relationship with God. This is what David earnestly desired from God. This is what enabled him to develop and grow in the fear of the Lord. This is what enabled him to repent and walk again in restoration with God whenever he did fall. And this is what protected him from all his enemies.
In Proverbs 9:10 Solomon stated that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding.” How tragic that at the end of Solomon‘s life that he fell, never to recover, because of the lack of the fear of the Lord and relationship with His Holy God. Read 1 Kings, Chapter 11.
Wisdom and knowledge, coupled with a high intelligence appears to be highly attractive to man. Our universities and colleges bear tribute to this. Sadly, our colleges greatly lack in the fear of the Lord and the knowledge of the Holy One. Without the fear of the Lord and a daily pursuit of an intimate relationship with God, morals are often lacking and pride lifts its haughty head.
The whole of Psalm 27 centers on verse 4, which is David’s No. 1 request that he would seek after, and dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in His temple.
Dwelling in the house of the Lord on a daily basis does not mean setting up a full time office in a church building, or spending hours each day in prayer inside a temple in Jerusalem. In David’s day, there was a tabernacle at Jerusalem which only comprised of a simple temporary tent which covered the Ark of the Covenant. It was here that God’s presence was strongly manifested in a very special way. This tent in Jerusalem was called David’s Tabernacle (Acts 15:16) and it typified a temple made up of people from all nations.
It is important for us to acknowledge and practice the presence of God within our body which is now His holy temple. If we want to claim all the blessings of preservation as David did in Psalm 27 we must daily acknowledge that the Holy Spirit, who lives in our temple, still desires us to earnestly desire Christ’s presence. We must daily seek to behold His beauty and turn our temple into a house of prayer.
Psalm 27:5, which follows David’s confession to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life says, “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.”
COLIN CAMPBELL
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Colin is the husband of Nancy Campbell, Editor of Above Rubies www.aboverubies.org
Colin can be contacted at 615 948 5958 for speaking engagements.
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